Manila

Manila (/məˈnɪlə/ mə-NIH-lə, Spanish: [ma’nila]; Filipino: Maynila, pronounced [majˈnilaʔ]), officially the City of Manila (Filipino: Lungsod ng Maynila [luŋˈsod nɐŋ majˈnilaʔ]), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second most populous city. It is highly urbanized and as of 2019 was the world’s most densely populated city proper.[11] It was the first chartered city in the country, designated as such by the Philippine Commission Act 183 of July 31, 1901. It became autonomous with the passage of Republic Act No. 409, “The Revised Charter of the City of Manila,” on June 18, 1949.

Manila, along with Mexico City and Madrid, has been considered to be one of the world’s earliest global cities, because its commercial networks were the first to extend across the Pacific Ocean and connect Asia with the Spanish Americas. When this was accomplished, it marked the first time in world history that an uninterrupted chain of trade routes circling the planet had been established. Manila is the second most natural-disaster-afflicted capital city in the world after Tokyo.[14] At the same time, it is nevertheless among the most populous and fastest growing cities in Southeast Asia.

The Spanish city of Manila was founded on June 24, 1571, by Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi. This is regarded as the city’s official founding date; however, a Tagalog-fortified polity called Maynilà had already existed on the site, dating back as far as 1258. It is the name of this old polity from which the Spanish and English name Manila derives. After the defeat of the polity’s last indigenous Rajah, Sulayman III, in the Battle of Bangkusay, a fortified Spanish city called Intramuros was built directly on top of the site of old Maynilà. Manila was the seat of power for most of the country’s colonial rulers.

Today, it is home to many historic sites, some of which were built during the 16th century. Many of the Philippines’ “firsts” are in Manila, including the first university (1590), light station (1642), lighthouse tower (1846), water system (1878), hotel (1889), electricity (1895), oceanarium (1913),[17] stock exchange (1927), flyover (1930s), zoo (1959), pedestrian underpass (1960),[18] science high school (1963), city-run university (1965), city-run hospital (1969), and rapid transit system (1984) – also considered to be the first rapid transit system in all of Southeast Asia).

The term “Manila” is commonly used to refer to the whole metropolitan area, the greater metropolitan area or the city proper. The officially defined metropolitan area, called Metro Manila, the “capital region” of the Philippines, also includes the much larger Quezon City and the Makati Central Business District. It is the most populous region in the country, and one of the most populous urban areas in the world.

The city proper was home to 1,780,148 people in 2015, and is the historic core of a built-up area that extends well beyond its administrative limits. With 71,263 people per square kilometer, Manila is the most densely populated city proper in the world. 

Manila is located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay. The Pasig River flows through the middle of the city, dividing it into the north and south sections. The city comprises 16 administrative districts: Binondo, Ermita, Intramuros, Malate, Paco, Pandacan, Port Area, Quiapo, Sampaloc, San Andres, San Miguel, San Nicolas, Santa Ana, Santa Cruz, Santa Mesa and Tondo. It is divided into six political districts for the purposes of its representation in the Congress of the Philippines and the election of city council members.